Cams have been used on compound bows for some time. Cam assemblies are designed to yield efficient energy transfer from the bow to the arrow. Some compound bows have opposing limbs, extending from a handle portion, that support the cam assemblies. Typically, each cam assembly is rotatably mounted on an axle which is then mounted on the applicable limb of the bow. Compound bows have a bowstring attached to the cam which sits in a track and also, typically, two power cables that each sit in a track on a separate module of the cam. The power cables are anchored to the cam, a limb or an axle. When the bowstring is pulled to full draw position, the cam is rotated, and the power cables are “taken up” on their respective ends to increase energy stored in the bow for later transfer, with the opposing ends “let out” to provide some give in the power cable.
Most compound bows are outfitted with either single cam systems or dual cam systems, and are set to accommodate a specific draw length for a given user. The draw length can be determined as the distance at full draw between the nocking point of the arrow on the bowstring to the back of the handle grip on the bow. Each user can customize the user's particular draw length to accommodate the user's unique arm span, body size and shooting preferences.
Some cam assemblies include a cam-mounted draw stop (e.g., a pin stop) that provides a stopping location in the draw cycle of the bowstring. The stopping location is intended to correspond to the user's predetermined draw length so that the user does not retract the bowstring beyond the predetermined draw length.
This known cam-mounted draw stop is designed to be directly fastened to the cam. As the cam rotates, the cam-mounted draw stop contacts the applicable limb, causing the cam to stop rotating. Certain cam-mounted draw stops can be repositioned on the cam to adjust the draw length setting. In such design, the cam defines an arc-shaped slot, and the user can slide the cam-mounted draw stop in such slot until reaching a desired position.
However, relying entirely upon these cam-mounted draw stops can have several disadvantages. For example, it can be difficult to control micro or fine adjustments of the cam-mounted draw stop in such arc-shaped slot. In addition, the collision of the cam-mounted draw stop with the limb surface can damage or otherwise induce wear on the surface of the limb.
The foregoing background describes some, but not necessarily all, of the problems, disadvantages and shortcomings related to the known draw stop approaches for archery bows.